LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to talk about climate change. But his opponents want to focus on sleaze. As a United Nations climate summit aimed at staving off catastrophic global warming enters its final week in Glasgow, Scotland, host leader Johnson is facing a barrage of criticism in London over his attempts to change the system that oversees lawmakers’ standards. On Monday, the House of Commons will hold an emergency debate on political ethics after the government tried to block the suspension of a Conservative lawmaker found guilty of breaching lobbying rules. Opposition parties say the episode has revealed a Conservative government that plays fast and loose with the rules, and the want a public inquiry into corruption allegations. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Johnson should apologize to the nation and “clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created.” The lobbying episode is the latest to fuel allegations that Johnson and his …
Boris johnson
Migrant boat capsizes in English Channel; dozens feared dead
3 PARIS (AP) — A boat carrying migrants capsized Wednesday in the English Channel while attempting to cross from France to Britain, killing an unspecified number of people, French authorities said. Dozens were feared dead. Although officials offered few confirmed details, it appeared to be one of the deadliest days in the channel in recent memory. Britain's prime minister convened a meeting of the government's crisis committee, and France's interior minister rushed to see survivors in a Calais hospital. The two governments have been at odds over how to prevent the increasingly dangerous migrant crossings. A French naval boat spotted several bodies in the water around 2 p.m. and retrieved an unknown number of dead and injured, including some who were unconscious, a maritime authority spokesperson said. Three French patrol boats were joined by a French helicopter and a British helicopter in searching the area, according to the French maritime agency …
Thunberg denounces COP26 deal, UN chief warns ‘catastrophe’ close
For Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, the real work continues beyond the conference. PARIS: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned of an impending "climate catastrophe", while environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg dismissed Saturday's COP26 climate conference deal as "blah, blah, blah". And even those who welcomed the deal in Glasgow said a huge amount of work remained to be done. Guterres acknowledged the shortcomings of the agreement, in a statement following the deal reached on Saturday evening at the Glasgow conference. "The #COP26 outcome is a compromise, reflecting the interests, contradictions and state of political will in the world today," he tweeted. "It's an important step, but it's not enough. It's time to go into emergency mode. The climate battle is the fight of our lives and that fight must be won." "Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread", he warned, adding "We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe." Thunberg, arguably …
UK To Require Charge Points For Electric Vehicles In New Buildings
Charging points for electric vehicles will be required to be installed in new buildings in Britain from next year under new legislation to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his office said in a statement on Sunday. It said the regulations would lead to up to 145,000 extra charge points being installed in England each year in the run-up to 2030, when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end in Britain. The requirement will apply to new homes and to non-residential buildings such as offices and supermarkets. It will also apply to buildings undergoing large-scale renovations which leave them with more than 10 parking spaces. Johnson was due to announce the new legislation in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry's annual conference on Monday. Accelerating investment in infrastructure to facilitate a transition to electric vehicles was one of the elements in a wide-ranging national Net Zero Strategy document published by the British government last …
27 die in deadliest migrant boat tragedy between France and UK
Passage to England costs a migrant around 6,000 euros, French police say. CALAIS (FRANCE) - At least 27 migrants died Wednesday crossing from France to England when their boat sank off the port of Calais, French authorities said, the deadliest disaster since the Channel became a major part of the migrant route. The French interior ministry said in a statement that patrol vessels found corpses and people unconscious in the water after a fisherman sounded the alarm. French police then said that 27 people had died after setting out from Dunkirk east of Calais in a boat with some 50 people on board. Three helicopters and three boats took part in the search, local authorities said. French prosecutors have opened a manslaughter probe. On the other side of the Channel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a crisis meeting. "I am shocked, appalled and deeply saddened by the loss of life at sea," he said. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who is heading to the scene, …